NICKY Weaver has just come through one of the hardest battles of his footballing career, but now he faces one just as tough to get back into the Manchester City team.

NICKY Weaver has just come through one of the hardest battles of his footballing career, but now he faces one just as tough to get back into the Manchester City team.

The keeper has gone through 16 months of absolute hell with his knee injury, but he came through it all and returned to action with the reserves in midweek. And I, for one, am absolutely delighted for him.

I know how he must have felt during his recovery.

I was out for eight months with an injury and it was a nightmare.

You turn up for training every day, see the lads and have a bit of banter with them, before they go one way to prepare for a match and you go the other to have physio and head to the gym.

Then, when the rest of the squad finish at lunch, you are back to work because recovering from injury means constant effort to strengthen your muscles and maintain your fitness.

Any player will tell you that the hardest part of the game is when you pick up an injury.

At the back of your mind when you are out for as long as Nicky is the fear that this could be the end.

And I think he has done an awful lot of thinking over the last 16 months.

Criticism

He received a lot of criticism during the early part of his career for 'socialising' too much.

But you name me a young footballer who doesn't like to enjoy the trappings of fame and money.

Yet he showed in those days what a fantastic keeper he is, and I think during his rehabilitation he realised how close he came to losing it all. Now he wants to make sure he doesn't come close to losing it all again.

But, as I said, he has a battle on his hands to displace David James.

He is going to have to get used to sitting on the bench and wait for his chance.

Believe me, his chance will come. Injuries and suspensions will kick in and he will be called up again for first team action by Kevin Keegan.

What he has to do, however, is make sure he takes his chance.

And he only has to look at team-mate Robbie Fowler as an example of how to do that.

Many thought Robbie's City career was over when Kevin told him to go away and get himself fit.

But he did just that, and has returned with a renewed hunger and put in some great performances for the Blues in recent weeks.

Nicky needs to do the same.

I thought he was good enough to be England's No 1 if he had stayed fit.

Now, hopefully, the injury has not diminished his abilities and we will see him back to his best.

Let's face it, for what he has been though in the past year and a half, he deserves all the good luck he can get.